Of the many clichés to arise during this economic crisis—“golden parachutes,” “too big to fail,” and, worst of all, “recessionista”—one stands out. We are told that unions must automatically stand down during any given dispute, because their members should be grateful to be employed at all. This attitude became part of the North American zeitgeist during the height of the car industry’s woes last year; as a municipal strike in Toronto drags on, it has now gripped Canada’s largest city.